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Any downsides to ZDP 189?

I really don't care about steel that much once it meets a certain requirement, but I'm about to buy a paramilitary and Spyderco is redoing their lineup in ZDP. Is there someway to rationalize the S30V (outside of cost) or should I just wait for a ZDP para (assuming it'll ever come at all).

Any downside to S30V? Or VG-10? Or any good stainless steel, properly treated and ground?

ZDP-189 is just the latest in a long list of high-tech stainless steels, each bringing certain characteristics to the mix, which are good for some uses and not for others.

There is no one perfect blade material. The Paramilitary is fine in its current configuration. Depending on how long it remains in the Spyderco line-up, it may be released in other steels in years to come.

Get what you like when you like it. Waiting for upgrades or price drops is a sure way to miss out on the fun now.

Downsides?
We cannot get the info for heat-treating it, and can't buy it in bar or sheet form, so we cannot utilize it in the US market, except as a finished product from Japan.
That's what it looks like to me...ICBW,BIPN.

It IS brittle. That's why usually it gets laminated with other steels.

Steel may get laminated for quite a number of reasons. Brittleness of the core is only *one* of the various other possibilities. Tradition, for instance, may be an important factor, like in Norway. Some Norwegian knifemakers also believe laminated steels are tougher in low temperatures. Laminated steel may also be used when the core doesn't have very high corrosion resistance, and so on.

As far as ZDP-189 is concerned, the reports so far on the various discussion boards indicate that it's no more brittle than other high alloy stainless steels.

Automatically equating high hardness (> 60 RC) with brittleness is a bit off the mark. There are quite a few "old-fashioned" carbon steels around that are anything but brittle even when they're run to full hardness.

I really don't care about steel that much once it meets a certain requirement, but I'm about to buy a paramilitary and Spyderco is redoing their lineup in ZDP. Is there someway to rationalize the S30V (outside of cost) or should I just wait for a ZDP para (assuming it'll ever come at all).

I doubt the PMillie will be made in ZDP-189. The Paramilitary is a Golden made piece, which means it uses American steels like s30v. ZDP-189 is a Japanese steel, and at this time it is not allowed to be exported.

Also, Spyderco redoing their lineup in ZDP-189? Only two models are slated to be in ZDP-189 at this point, I hardly would qualify that as redoing the lineup. Sal said he wanted to put two ZDP-189 blades out there at a rather low price in order to gauge the reaction to the steel. Right now we are still in the "test" phase I'd say.

I'm completely lacking in information about it's actual performance, other than edge retention and my totally non-scientific experience. Do you have any good sources of info?

A good source for the info is the fact that it is 3% Carbon(hard) and 20% Chromium(hard). VS two steels reknown for their toughness(non-brittle) - 5160 and L6 which have only .60 -.70% Carbon and usually less than .8% Chromium. 440C, which isn't terribly tough at all and is nearly useless at an RC of 60(chips readily and is a complete pain to sharpen), is 17% Chromium and 1% Carbon. Physics is physics. In fact, if you look at all the steels famous for toughness, none have more than 7.5% chromium, with most at about 0-1%. Even CPM-3V is only .8% Carbon.

Hitachi, btw, did not answer the question regarding Charpy values in the cited example by Ryan8:

"What do the numbers 189
represent? Glesser said he does
not know. Chances are that few do.
He said that when he asked about
ZDP’s charpy value—a measure
of the dynamic toughness of a
steel—the folks at Hitachi “acted
like they didn’t know what I was
talking about. We couldn’t get a
good translation.”"

Hitachi, btw, did not answer the question regarding Charpy values in the cited example by Ryan8:

"What do the numbers 189
represent? Glesser said he does
not know. Chances are that few do.
He said that when he asked about
ZDP’s charpy value—a measure
of the dynamic toughness of a
steel—the folks at Hitachi “acted
like they didn’t know what I was
talking about. We couldn’t get a
good translation.”"

That's very interesting. Is there also any information on the charpy values at ~64HRC? As far as I know the Spydercos are between 63 and 64HRC, and it would be interesting to know whether that makes any difference.

Downsides?
We cannot get the info for heat-treating it, and can't buy it in bar or sheet form, so we cannot utilize it in the US market, except as a finished product from Japan.
That's what it looks like to me...ICBW,BIPN.

Guys if you are interested I have found a place here that sells it as stock for knife makers.